News, observations and reader questions about the Sacramento Kings and the NBA.

June 6, 2011

The Warriors' hiring of Mark Jackson a few hours ago caught most Bay Area types by surprise. The sense was that the process would drag on for another week or so, with owner Joe Lacob waiting to speak with Dallas Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey after the NBA Finals. But Lacob just seems to love the drama. He loves the surprises. (See his hiring of Jerry West as a consultant). Whether he has a clue about successfully running an NBA franchise is another matter. This is a risky hiring, to say the least.

Jackson, who is working on ESPN/ABC's announcing crew during the Finals, has never been a head coach, an assistant, or worked with a team in any other capacity.
Nonetheless, we know this much about the incoming Warriors coach: He was a headstrong, clever, old-fashioned, playmaking point guard who finished his career trailing only John Stockton and Jason Kidd in total assists. Applying a little logic here - always a danger when dabbling in the NBA - Jackson's hiring surely seems to further the notion that the Warriors plan to bust up the undersized backcourt of Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis. It doesn't work and was never going to work. Ellis, who was skeptical from the start, was only telling it like it was. And is. Serious trade talks to continue.